Heritage house tours and afternoon teas for MND

Home-made afternoon teas, house tours and doll collections are a regular feature at John and Jenny Brunton’s house in St Albans, Christchurch. The long-time supporters of MND NZ welcome guests to their beautiful heritage home ‘Uraidla’.

They bake or make all the food for the afternoon or morning teas and invest significant time and energy in hosting. In lieu of an entry fee for the tours, John and Jenny collect donations for Motor Neurone Disease New Zealand (MND NZ). 

On a recent visit to Uraidla, MND NZ Chief Executive Mark Leggett enjoyed the Brunton’s legendary hospitality while soaking up the property’s beautiful surroundings and gardens.

“The house is spectacular; it’s like stepping back in time. There’s an old wooden phone on the wall, a grandfather clock in the entrance, a coal range in the old kitchen, a copper in the laundry and a real outhouse in the garden,” says Mark.

“John and Jenny are such wonderful hosts. We had a great chat about John’s former work as a house surgeon in New Plymouth and a GP in Linwood, as well as Jenny’s nursing experience in the Waikato in the sixties.”

The Brunton’s quiet humility means they aren’t too keen on external accolades for their fundraising efforts, but they appreciate that the funds have a meaningful impact for those living with the disease.

“We are so grateful to John and Jenny for helping MND NZ to support those living with motor neurone disease over the 11 years they have owned the house. They’ve made a huge difference to our community by funding personalised support, advocacy, resources, education and support for research,” says Mark.

Supporting those impacted by motor neurone disease is a family affair – the Brunton’s daughter, Heather, was the original Motor Neurone Disease Clinical Nurse Specialist at Christchurch Hospital. It was Heather’s experience of working with people with MND that inspired their fundraising for MND NZ.

“We are so pleased to be able to consistently donate to MND NZ by sharing our house with such lovely visitors. Often our guests are so moved by the devastating impact of this disease that we are overwhelmed by their incredible generosity,” say John and Jenny.